


The Elevator Pitch

by Retsina



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Elevators, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Friendship/Love, Love, M/M, One Shot, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 03:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20185657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Retsina/pseuds/Retsina
Summary: Axel definitely does not check his mail more often, go to the pool twice a weekend, walk the dog an extra time per day, make small talk with the concierge every evening, randomly check that his car is still in the parking garage, and use the wi-fi in the apartment building lobby rather than in the comfort of his own home just to ride the elevator downstairs hoping to run into his new neighbor Roxas.  Nope.  Absolutely not.





	The Elevator Pitch

Roxas _loved_ his new apartment. The space, the lighting, the layout, the plush carpet under his toes. And the _view_. _Damn_, he thought as he stood on his balcony. _What a view_. He leaned against the railing, looking out at the city beyond. _What a great find_. His reverie was disturbed by the buzzing in his back pocket. He sighed, remembering that his brother Sora was waiting for him downstairs with another round of boxes to bring up. Roxas had come upstairs for a bathroom break, but then got distracted by the clear skies. Reluctantly he turned and left the balcony, closing the sliding glass door behind him, grabbing his keys and heading out the front door.

Out in the hall, he hit the “down” button and waited for the elevator. Jiggling his foot, he watched the little display above the elevator as it traveled from floor 23 down to his own 19. The second the door opened, Roxas rushed in, then did a double take when he realized he wasn’t alone.

“Hello,” he greeted the unfamiliar, red-haired man in the rear left corner of the elevator in an effort to be friendly to his new neighbor. The taller, lanky man inclined his head and smiled brightly, returning the greeting.

“Hello.”

Roxas smiled back and turned to face the elevator doors so as not to be awkward. He couldn’t help but sneak a glance out of the corner of his eye at his elevator companion. The redhead was leaning against the elevator wall, looking down at the phone in his hand. His long hair trailed in a ponytail down his back, and fine fire-red wisps framed his face. The man seemed to be of age with Roxas, if not a bit older, and was dressed simply in jeans and a green tee.

The redhead’s eyes flicked up from his phone towards Roxas, who felt his cheeks redden and quickly glued his eyes to the screen indicating what floor the elevator was passing through. In that moment though, the taller man smiled mischievously at Roxas, who had been almost too distracted by the green of the man’s eyes to notice.

Finally, the elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened, releasing Roxas from the shame and awkwardness of having been caught staring. Roxas glanced back over his shoulder, and, not wanting to be rude, smiled and murmured “Bye,” as he exited.

“Have a nice day,” the older man replied, allowing Roxas the dignity of leaving the elevator first to make his escape. Roxas tried to regulate his breathing and calm his madly beating heart. _No need to get so worked up over a stranger just because he’s extremely attractive and smiled at you and told you to have a nice day_, Roxas lectured himself internally. _Chill out_. _You don’t even know if he lives here. He’s probably just visiting his extremely beautiful girl-_

Roxas’ frazzled thoughts were interrupted as he heard the stranger call out, “Hey, Cid,” to the concierge at the building’s front desk.

“How are you today, Axel?” Roxas heard the elderly man reply. The rest of the conversation faded away as Roxas headed out the door and towards the loading area. Had he chanced a look back, he would have seen Axel’s eyes follow him until he was well outside and out of view.

The concierge saw Axel staring and smiled. “That’s our newest resident,” he explained.

“Oh really?” Axel turned toward Cid as the doors closed behind Roxas. “Oh, I have a package, by the way.”

“One moment,” Cid replied.

“No prob.” Axel leaned on the counter of the front desk and tapped his fingers lightly, musing aloud, “Maybe I should welcome him to the building.”

***

“Ugh, what the fuck did you pack in here, Roxas?” Sora groaned as passed a box down to his younger brother from the back of the moving truck. Roxas piled it into a cart they had borrowed earlier from the concierge.

“I don’t know, Sora, _things_,” Roxas snapped back testily. He huffed as Sora passed him another box which was, if he was being honest, too heavy.

“You gotta use smaller boxes next time, dude,” Sora chided. He continued to complain for several minutes as he passed box after box to Roxas, who tuned the older boy out completely. Roxas was quite too busy remembering the smirk and the green, green eyes of the man he had met in the elevator not ten minutes earlier. Those striking teardrop tattoos under his eyes didn’t help Roxas’ concentration either. Roxas shook his head and focused with all his might on not dropping his end of the tall metal floor lamp Sora was in the process of handing down to him. No need to get so worked up over a stranger, even one who was too handsome for his own good. _There’s no way a guy like that is both single _and _gay_, Roxas thought. _Maybe one of those, but not both_. Definitely not both. Roxas had never been that lucky. Plus – the guy was so tall. _Why would he ever look twice at lil’ old me?_

“Ok, you gonna take the cart up now?” Sora asked, interrupting Roxas’ thoughts and gesturing towards the now-full cart.

“Yeah,” Roxas nodded, “Be back in a sec.”

***

Axel totally hadn’t taken his sweet time checking his mailbox, chatting with Cid, and loitering in the lobby scrolling through Instagram to see if his path would cross the blond newcomer’s again. Nope, definitely not. Axel just really liked the lobby, and all the people that passed through. Plus the wi-fi was really fast here. Yup. That was it.

He perked up when he heard the door opening. Seeing a familiar flash of blond hidden behind a box-laden cart, he sprang up and hit the button to call the elevator. Acting nonchalant as the blond rolled up and the elevator doors opened, Axel greeted “Hello again!” as innocently as he could whilst feigning surprise. “Oh, let me help with that!” Axel gave the cart a yank and helped Roxas roll it into the elevator over that pesky gap in the floor between the ground and the doors.

“Thanks,” Roxas grunted as he pushed the cart all the way into the small space. He looked up and his eyes widened. “Oh, uh, hi. Again.”

_Damn, he’s cute_, Axel thought. “Moving in?” he questioned, smiling crookedly.

“Ye-yeah,” Roxas stammered, a bit flustered now that the attention of the man he’d been daydreaming about for twenty minutes was squarely on him. Looking at the redhead full on rather than out of the corner of his eye, Roxas found him even more attractive and felt incredibly charmed by his smile.

“Ah, a new neighbor!” Axel exclaimed and held his hand out to Roxas for a shake. “I’m Axel.”

“Roxas,” the shorter man said, gathering his confidence and remembering to smile. “Nice to meet you.

“What floor?” the taller man asked as he jabbed ’23.’

“19 please.” Roxas silently twiddled his thumbs and looked away nervously as the elevator ascended. He had his eyes firmly fixed on a box in the middle of the stack when Axel spoke up again.

“New in town?”

Roxas looked up, startled and surprised that Axel was still talking to him. “No,” he began, then added, “Just finally getting my own place.”

“Ah, congrats,” Axel commented as the doors opened to floor 19.

Roxas smiled at him ruefully, a little disappointed that their interaction would end there. “This is me. Bye!”

Axel nodded and helped push Roxas’ cart out of the elevator.

“Thanks,” Roxas said, to which Axel responded, “Anytime. See ya.”

As the door closed behind Axel’s new neighbor, he leaned against the back of the elevator and sighed. Roxas – was that his name? – was just way too cute. Plus he _seemed_ nice. And possibly interested. _Can’t get my hopes up, though_, Axel thought to himself even as his hopes were skyrocketing. _He probably has a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Cuties like that don’t stay on the market long_. _Unless he has a horrible personality? Ugh_. Axel shook his head as he exited the elevator on floor 23, definitely **not** resolving to check his mail every day rather than once a week, go down to the pool twice a weekend rather than never, or descend to the parking garage to make sure he remembered to lock his car doors. No, he definitely would _not _take the elevator more often than necessary. Nope.

***

Roxas finished moving all the boxes upstairs but didn’t run into Axel again, unfortunately. He spent the rest of the weekend rearranging furniture, unpacking boxes, and filling cupboards and drawers. Finally he lay flat on his back on his blessedly comfy queen bed, spent but pleased with the progress he’d made. _Alone_, he thought as he drifted to sleep. _No Sora. No roommates. Just me. Finally._

Monday had him rushing to get ready for work and find his button-downs among piles and piles of clothes. He was late, pressing the elevator ‘down’ button at 7:45 AM.

Tuesday saw him jabbing the ‘down’ button furiously a good deal earlier at 7:30, having wisely sorted his clothes the night before, but Roxas would need to improve by five minutes if he hoped to get to work on time. He forgot to factor in the time it took to catch the elevator and descend from the 19th floor, then navigate the winding maze of the parking garage.

On Wednesday, Roxas triumphantly hit ‘down’ at 7:25 AM. _Yes!_ he cheered internally as the doors opened, then “Oh – ”

“Good morning,” Axel greeted cheerily, a wide grin on his face as the most adorable Pomeranian propped her two front paws up on Roxas’ legs.

“Good morning!” Roxas exclaimed, then bent over to pet the pup. “Hello there!” he happily chirped to the Pomeranian, reaching down and stroking her fur. “What’s her name?”

“It’s Sansa,” Axel answered, grinning down at Roxas.

“Like from Game of Thrones?” he asked excitedly, looking up at the taller man. _Roxas, duh, of course it’s from Game of Thrones, why’d you ask that?_ Roxas chided himself.

“Yeah,” Axel nodded, his smile turning sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m a fan.”

“I can’t wait for Season 8!” Roxas exclaimed, still crouching and petting Sansa. “I’m praying it’s good. Please, please let it be good.”

“I know, right?!” Axel agreed eagerly as the elevator dinged and opened its doors, revealing the parking garage.

“Bye, Sansa!” Roxas tore himself away from the Pomeranian he already loved after one last lick on the wrist. “Bye,” he repeated to Axel, glancing the redhead’s way as he exited.

“See ya,” Axel returned, pulling Sansa in as the elevator doors closed behind Roxas.

“You like him, huh, Sansa?” Axel looked down at his dog, who simply wagged her tongue at him, smiling her dog smile. “Don’t play innocent,” he chided, “I can see right through you, ya know?” Sansa let out a brief bark and licked her owner’s ankle. Axel sighed, and definitely did not think about wooing Roxas using Sansa’s canine wiles.

***

Thursday Roxas was late again, cursing the slow elevator under his breath. He resolved to go to sleep earlier that night in an effort to wake up by 6AM.

Friday Roxas was right on time, and was rewarded by Pomeranian kisses and a sparkle in Axel’s eye.

Saturday had Roxas wondering what time Axel walked Sansa on the weekend. No, scratch that. He definitely wasn’t wondering. But, he did need to check his mail. Roxas was expecting a new credit card any day now. However, the elevator gods chose not to bless him with Axel’s presence that afternoon.

Sunday brought the finest weather in months, and Roxas decided to explore the neighborhood and take a walk. Unexpectedly, the elevator doors opened to reveal Axel in swimshorts, book in one hand, Sansa’s leash in the other and a water bottle in the crook of his left elbow. Sansa immediately pounced at Roxas, who laughed and rubbed her sides.

“Sansa!” Axel scolded, “Down! Don’t harass our neighbor!” Roxas stood and shifted toward Axel as the elevator stopped on the 17th floor to admit a couple also headed to the pool

“It’s fine,” Roxas reassured him fervently, waving his hands in the air, “I don’t mind the attention at all.”

Axel grinned endearingly at Roxas. “She likes you.”

Roxas’ heart stopped for a moment and butterflies travelled from his stomach to his chest and out through the veins in his arms. Sansa yelped at him, missing Roxas’ attention, and he managed to laugh, ruffle Sansa’s fur and reply lightly, “Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

Breathing again, he tried to maintain his cool. _Breathe, Roxas_, he scolded himself, _you are overreacting_.

“Time for some sun!” Axel declared as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, where the pool was located. “Have you been to the pool yet?” Axel asked Roxas as the couple from the 17th floor exited first. Axel lingered in the entryway, blocking the doors from closing as Roxas fondly scratched Sansa’s ear and stood to say goodbye.

“No, not yet,” Roxas answered sadly. “I’ve been so busy.”

“Oh, you have to. It’s awesome. Ok, see ya!” Axel waved at him. Roxas returned the gesture, his smile a little strained as he tried fervently not to imagine a shirtless Axel lounging by the pool’s edge, fiery hair kissed by the sun splayed out under him. Roxas, failing to repress his imagination, turned his attention towards vigorously telling himself that he definitely _did not_ under any circumstances have a crush on this complete stranger. He would _not_ be seduced by good looks, charm, and the world’s friendliest Pomeranian. Nope.

***

Roxas was wrong. So, _so _wrong. As he settled into life at his new home, the days passed and he encountered Axel in the elevator 3-4 times a week, mostly in the morning, sometimes in the evening. Every fleeting conversation only encouraged his budding, blooming feelings for his elevator companion. Slowly, over the course of dozens of one to two minute chats, Roxas learned that Axel was a graphic designer earning a living making logos, ads, and other images for a publishing company in the heart of downtown. He learned that Axel was a huge Game of Thrones fan (and a hopeless shipper of Brienne and Jaime) and had a trip planned to Northern Ireland just to go on a tour of the filming locations. Axel hated lettuce, but for some reason Sansa loved it. Axel had two sisters and a brother who only visited him when they wanted to use the building’s pool, but he loved them anyway. Roxas realized he wanted to know more and more, but 90 seconds (on average) just wouldn’t cut it.

One Thursday Roxas sighed in disappointment when the elevator opened right on time, empty. Some days, Axel woke up earlier than usual to walk Sansa if he had a meeting or otherwise needed to be at work early. In that moment when his heart sunk, Roxas realized something – _I’ve got it bad. So, so, so bad._

***

“Oh my God, Axel, you’ve got it _so_ bad.”

“Not _that_ bad,” Axel retorted weakly, pressing the phone to his left ear with one hand while gripping Sansa’s leash with the other as the dog pretty much walked herself.

“Oh, please,” his sister’s laugh lilted through the speaker, “You woke me up at 7AM to complain about how you can’t face him in the elevator anymore without doing something completely stupid.”

Axel sighed. It was true. He had it bad. So bad. And it was also true that he was avoiding Roxas on this particular Thursday. _I need a plan_, he thought.

“I need a plan, Kai,” he voiced his worries, frowning at Sansa as she tugged on her leash and yelped in the direction of a squirrel.

“Just ask him out, Ax, can’t hurt,” Kairi instructed firmly.

“What if he’s taken?”

“Then he’ll say no and you’ll move on to the next cutie you meet in the elevator.” Axel could just _hear_ Kairi rolling her eyes on the other end of the line.

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“He would have changed his elevator schedule by now if he didn’t like you.”

Axel pondered on this a moment. She did have a point. But, still – “What if – ”

“Axel,” Kairi cut in, “Just do it, please? I wanna go back to sleep.”

“Ok,” Axel vowed, his voice strong, “Tomorrow.”

“Today!”

“No, no, no, it’s too late now. Don’t worry, I won’t chicken out. Ok, gotta go, Sansa’s dragging me toward a squirrel.”

***

On Friday, Roxas and Axel’s paths didn’t cross. Neither Saturday nor Sunday brought them together. On Monday, Axel, Sansa, and a man from the 10th floor with his son all rode the elevator down together in silence. Axel gnawed on his lip, worried. That night Axel talked Cid’s ear off about dog care, but no Roxas came to the lobby to check his mail.

Tuesday gave Axel knots in his stomach as the elevator slipped past 19 without even a “ding.”

Finally, on Wednesday those damn metal doors opened to reveal a sniffling, ruddy-cheeked Roxas sneezing into a tissue.

“Roxas!” Axel exclaimed, forgetting himself, “Are you ok?!”

“Well, I’ve been better,” the blond admitted, blowing his nose (and somehow doing so adorably). “Why?”

“I haven’t seen you in almost a week! I was worried! Sansa was worried too!” The Pomeranian barked at Axel’s words and bounced around Roxas’ foot as if to accentuate the older man’s point.

“Did you miss me?” Roxas teased as he bent down to pet Sansa fondly.

“Of course!” Axel exclaimed, then blushed furiously as he realized that Roxas was talking to the _dog_, not him. “I mean – Sansa definitely missed you. Obviously.”

“I had to report to a different office a few days last week,” Roxas explained, smiling fondly and ignoring Axel’s flub, “and then on Sunday I got this nasty cold and have been working from home. I have to go in for a meeting today but I still feel a little shitty.”

“You need soup,” Axel declared as the doors opened to the parking garage.

“Soup does sound good right now,” Roxas agreed, sighing as he scratched Sansa under her chin one last time before he straightened.

“I’ll make you soup,” Axel blurted out without hesitation.

“Huh?” Roxas froze mid-backing out of the elevator doors and stared at Axel.

“Tonight. 7pm. Meet me on the elevator.” Axel said decisively, doing a damned good job of covering his nervousness.

“Oh – oh, ok,” Roxas stammered, blushing, still frozen on the elevator entryway.

“7pm,” Axel re-affirmed, “Now hurry, you’ll be late. It’s 7:35 already.”

“O- oh shit, you’re right! Bye Axel!” Roxas waved wildly as he turned and ran to his car. Axel stared after him until the doors closed.

“Why the _fuck_ did I offer to _make_ soup?” Axel grumbled to himself, kicking the door with his toe. _I don’t have a cooking bone in my body_, Axel thought to himself as he descended to the lobby to take Sansa for a morning walk. Axel pressed his lips into a thin but determined line. _This is it,_ he thought, _my chance._ He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Kairi’s number.

“What,” Kairi’s stern voice came over the phone in greeting.

“What’s the easiest soup you know how to make?!” Axel asked urgently.

“The fuck? Google it, Ax,” Kairi grumbled. Axel heard her rotate under the covers of her bed.

“There’s too many recipes on the internet Kairi. I need help. I offered to make Roxas soup tonight. This is my _chance_,” he stressed, so she would understand how important this is.

“Oh? Really?” Life had suddenly come into Kairi’s voice. “Ha,” she giggled, “Are you stupid?”

“What?”

“You’re such a bad cook, Ax.” She laughed again. “How lameo. Soup.”

“Can you be a little more helpful?”

“Ok, ok.” Kairi sighed, and Axel could see her hugging a pillow in his mind’s eye. “Do you have a slow cooker?”

“No. But I can get one.”

“Ok. You’ll need some potatoes, too. A LOT of potatoes.”

***

Roxas’ thoughts whirled wildly all day. What was Axel planning? Well, he was planning soup. But was that all? What did this mean? Was this a date? No way, right? How would Axel coordinate their elevator rides?

Pulling into his parking spot, Roxas groaned when he looked in the rearview mirror and saw Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer staring back at him. He glanced at the time and combed his fingers through his hair in an attempt to appear more presentable. Roxas rummaged furiously through his glove compartment, whispering “Aha!” when he found the small bottle of cologne he kept in there. After applying a few dabs on his neck, he blew his nose one last time and headed bravely out of the car. Pressing the up button determinedly, Roxas drew a deep breath and steeled himself for what was to come.

A familiar “ding” sounded and he heard the whirring of the approaching elevator. Suddenly Roxas realized that Axel hadn’t specified _which_ of the three elevators to meet him on. What if the middle one opening its doors now was empty?

Roxas smiled broadly as the elevator opened to reveal a nonchalant Axel wearing an apron over jeans and a tee, Sansa by his side and a huge soup ladle in his left hand. The Pomeranian yelped and strained against her leash upon seeing Roxas.

“Chef Axel reporting for duty,” Axel joked and smiled. “Soup professional.” Roxas laughed and approached his friend.

“What kind of soup?” he asked curiously.

“Potato leek,” Axel declared proudly, emphasizing his words with a wave of his ladle. “It will blow your mind.”

“You made it for me?”

“I told you I would, didn’t I? Besides, what are neighbors for, if not to make soup for each other?” Axel smiled widely as the elevator stopped on floor 23. “Come on, my place is right down the hall.” He gestured with his ladle for Roxas to follow him.

“Did you walk Sansa in that getup?” Roxas asked, laughing as he walked a short distance behind Axel.

“Absolutely. What’s wrong with it?” Axel inquired innocently as he stopped in front of 2303 and pulled his keys out of his back pocket.

“Nothing. It’s cute,” Roxas found himself saying, unable to repress the words. Sansa danced around his feet as he blushed and hoped Axel was too distracted opening the front door to notice.

“After you, Rudolph,” Axel declared as he swung the door open, to which Roxas responded by punching him in the arm.

“Ow! Is that how you treat someone that just slaved over soup for you all day?” Axel accused as he motioned for Roxas to enter the apartment.

Roxas froze when he walked in and saw a beautiful set up for two on the kitchen table around a huge steaming pot of divine-smelling soup.

“Oh my god, you shouldn’t have!” Roxas exclaimed, whirling around, “You put too much work in!”

“Please,” Axel replied and walked over to the table, “It was actually the easiest thing in the world to make. You have no idea. It is actually the only edible thing I’ve ever cooked.” He pulled a chair out and gestured with the ladle for Roxas to sit.

“Really?” Roxas asked incredulously as he took his seat, picking up Sansa who had been furiously yipping for his attention.

“Dead serious. I can’t believe I made this with my own two hands.” Axel smiled as he ladled out soup for the both of them, then sat in the chair next to Roxas.

“Geez, calm down Sansa!” Roxas cried out as the dog licked at his face. He put her back down to prevent her from knocking something off the table with her furiously wagging tail.

Axel smiled and picked up his spoon. “Now let’s dig in!”

Roxas grabbed his spoon and swirled his soup thoughtfully, trying to gather his courage. He scooped up some of the thick, creamy concoction and blew on it. Finally taking a taste, his eyes widened. “Axel! This is delicious!”

“Thank you! I’m actually very proud of this dish. My sister recommended the recipe.”

Inexplicably, the soup invigorated Roxas. “Axel.”

“Yes?” the older man inquired, dunking a slice of bread in his bowl.

“Neighbors don’t make neighbors soup.” Roxas declared, surprising himself with his confidence.

“What do you mean? Of course they – ”

“Do you want to go out sometime? Soon? Tomorrow? Now?” Roxas’ self-assurance drained as Axel looked at him blankly. “Or, or we could just hang out – “

Roxas’ stream of words was interrupted by a peck on the lips from Axel, who proceeded to lean back and grin.

“Definitely,” Axel replied. “You wanna watch a movie with me and Sansa after this?”

Roxas lips curled in a smile. “Actually, I was asking _Sansa_ if she wanted to go out with me…”

“Oh. Really? Sansa, do you like this guy?” Axel looked down and asked the Pomeranian, who was sitting patiently under the table. She barked. Axel grimaced and turned his attention back to Roxas. “Nope, sorry, she says she’s not interested. Ooh, she said you’re not tall enough for her.”

Roxas _tched_ in annoyance and frowned. “Well that’s rude.”

“Well, since Sansa rejected you, guess you’ll just have to settle for me,” Axel commented, resting his elbows on the table.

“I suppose you’ll do. But _only_ if you make this soup again next week.”

“It’s a deal,” Axel declared firmly, and extended his hand to Roxas, who shook it. “Soup for two it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh, please note that I wrote the first half of this /before/ Game of Thrones Season 8 came out. Otherwise Axel and Roxas' conversation would have been different, ha.


End file.
